Bicknoller

Whichever way you approach the village of Bicknoller you are met with
one of the most charming and picturesque villages on the Quantock Hills.
It is about 3 miles past Crowcombe, just off the A358 (Taunton to Williton
Road) on the right hand side going towards Williton.

The village is full of beautiful houses. In the centre lies the church
of St George, and there is also a lovely thatched Inn, which provides
a warm welcome. This village is not as sleepy as it seems! The villagers
here got together and founded their own community shop and Post Office,
which is run by volunteers, all of whom live in the parish.

The village lies on the lower slopes of the Quantocks on the western
side of the hills. The Quantock Hills rise steeply behind the village
to the
northeast and to the south dip down to Doniford Stream. Some of the
tributaries of Doniford stream flow through the village. The village
has an ancient
history for above, on the hill, lies Trendle ring and Turk's castle — earthworks
dating from the time before written records existed. The first written
record of Bicknoller is from 1243, the village itself doesn't
appear in the Doomsday book although the hamlets of Halsway, Newton
and
Woolston do.

The meaning of the name could be "the alder trees of a man called
Bica" or "little Treasure". Little treasure
is what the village of Bicknoller certainly is. The village has had
royal
visitors, one was Princess Margaret who stayed here in the 1950's as
the guest of Captain Townsend's sister, the information was given on
her death
in 2001. It was a place of peace for her in that dramatic time, somewhere
where she and the captain could be alone out of the eyes of knowing
public.

The church of St George

Parts of the building of the church can be dated from the 12th century,
it is a small and peaceful building, originally part of Stogumber benefit
it was restored during the 19th century. The churchyard is dominated
by a 1,000 year old Yew and, under the tree, can be found the old village
stocks. At one time commemorated by a bench end in the church the tower had a
yew tree growing from it, but this was removed a few years ago.

Halsway Manor

Since 1965 Halsway Manor has been the home of the only permanent
residential folk music centre in the country. The building itself is
beautifully restored. The eastern block dates from the 15th century, whilst the western side-wing was lovingly added in Victorian times to blend in unobstrusively. The
history of the manor is fascinating,
the reference in the Doomsday book gives it a value of 20 shillings
and the land was granted to Roger de Courcelles, whose tenant was
Alric. In
the 12th century a Thomas de Halweia was recorded as holding a fee for
the manor. The family held the manor until the later part of the 13th
century when, with the marriage of Joan de Halweia to Sir Peter Stradling,
the family of Stradling became owners of the manor for over 300 years.

One of Halsway's myths is that the building was once the hunting lodge
of Cardinal Henry Beaufort. This has some truth attached but it was
his
daughter who married Sir Edward Standling who was the owner. It is
very possible that The Cardinal would have visited her, although
the evidence
which would support this is circumstantial, in the grounds of the Manor
there is the Yale of Beaufort, one of the 10 heraldic creatures in
the royal
ancestry
which are known as the Queen's beasts. The royal connection has also
come down with local legend, and the bishop's ghost was said to haunt
the
chapel
which was once adjacent to the house. When the chapel fell into disuse
it was used as an apple store and it was here that the bishop's ghost
was seen. He enjoyed pelting people with apples!! Today, no sign of
the chapel/barn can be seen, but in an 18th century painting of the
manor,
a barn can be seen beside the building and the windows have a vaguely
ecclesiastical appearance. In the 18th century the house was known
as Duke Henry's Hunting lodge and it has been said that the bishop's
chaplin
took his name John of Stoke Goner, from the name of the parish in which
Halsway stood. The other ghost of Halsway Manor can be found in the
Hall, in the 1930's the gallery, known as the Monk's Gallery led
across the hall. Here was seen the ghost of a monk who is supposed
to be on his way to chapel to say prayers on behalf of the Bishop.

The manor is rich in history and well worth a visit especially
if you are interested in folk music, many courses and events are held
over the year, Halsway Manor Society Ltd is a registered charity and
warmly welcomes new members, for more information you can visit their
web site.

A Walk round Bicknoller

The car park for the Village hall and shop is just off Trendle lane.
It is good place to start here after a visit to the shop for any extra
supplies required. From the shop turn right down Dashwood Lane here there
is a lovely house once one of the four farms that made up the village.
Turn into Gatchells Lane (right) and this brings you to the church. Down
the hill is the local Inn well worth a visit, in front of the church there
is a map of the village set in stone to commemorate the millennium, a
walk round the church yard is a must, to admire the lovely peaceful setting.

In front of the church a foot path sign leads you into fields, follow
this across four fields you come out into Chilcombe Lane. In the
lane turn
left (uphill). At the top of the lane the GreenWay sign points right,
the way to Halsway Manor, today the home of Folk and Traditional
Music
and crafts, but once the hunting seat of Bishop Beaufort, the oldest
inhabited building in West Somerset. Straight on up the lane to continue
on the
Greenway walk and on the left you have Trendle Lane, depending on time
you have a fantastic selection of walks. To head back to the village
follow
Trendle Lane stopping to admire the lovely mixture of houses. Up until
the early nineteenth century this was the main road from Taunton
to Minehead,
today it is a beautiful quiet lane which gives a good example of Ribbon
development.